سُوْرَةُ النَّحْلِ
Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 120
إِنَّ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةً قَانِتًا لِّلَّهِ حَنِيفًا وَلَمْ يَكُ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ﴿120﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Verily, Ibrâhîm (Abraham) was an Ummah (a leader having all the good righteous qualities), or a nation, obedient to Allâh, Hanîf (i.e. to worship none but Allâh), and he was not one of those who were Al-Mushrikûn (polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh, and those who joined partners with Allâh).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
إِبْرَٰهِيمَ
ib'rāhīma
Ibrahim
كَانَ
kāna
was
أُمَّةًۭ
ummatan
a nation
قَانِتًۭا
qānitan
obedient
لِّلَّهِ
lillahi
to Allah
حَنِيفًۭا
ḥanīfan
upright
وَلَمْ
walam
and not
يَكُ
yaku
he was
مِنَ
mina
of
ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
l-mush'rikīna
the polytheists
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
Indeed, Abraham was a nation in himself, obedient to Allah and upright. He was never [123] of the polytheists.
[123]
The Qualities of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and the Actions of the Polytheists:
Since the polytheists of Makkah claimed to be followers of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him), Allah Almighty has mentioned Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) here and described his qualities. His most prominent and foremost quality is that he stood firm alone against falsehood. On one side was an entire nation upholding disbelief and polytheism, and on the other side, the standard-bearer of monotheism was a single individual. And he accomplished as much as an entire nation or institution would; such was his determination and steadfastness. As for his beliefs and actions, he abandoned all supports and turned solely to Allah, and his obedience to Allah was such that he became entirely devoted to Him, caring not even for his own life in this path. As for polytheism, he never committed it even before prophethood, so the question of doing so afterwards does not arise. Now you yourselves should consider how justified you are in your claim of being his followers.
[123]
The Qualities of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and the Actions of the Polytheists:
Since the polytheists of Makkah claimed to be followers of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him), Allah Almighty has mentioned Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) here and described his qualities. His most prominent and foremost quality is that he stood firm alone against falsehood. On one side was an entire nation upholding disbelief and polytheism, and on the other side, the standard-bearer of monotheism was a single individual. And he accomplished as much as an entire nation or institution would; such was his determination and steadfastness. As for his beliefs and actions, he abandoned all supports and turned solely to Allah, and his obedience to Allah was such that he became entirely devoted to Him, caring not even for his own life in this path. As for polytheism, he never committed it even before prophethood, so the question of doing so afterwards does not arise. Now you yourselves should consider how justified you are in your claim of being his followers.
